| Fourth Cowper ministry | |
|---|---|
 9th Cabinet of the Colony of New South Wales | |
  Premier Charles Cowper and the Colony of New South Wales (1863–1900) | |
| Date formed | 3 February 1865 (1865-02-03) |
| Date dissolved | 21 January 1866 (1866-01-21) |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Governor | Sir John Young |
| Head of government | Charles Cowper |
| No. of ministers | 7 |
| Member party | unaligned |
| Status in legislature | Minority government |
| Opposition party | unaligned |
| Opposition leader | James Martin |
| History | |
| Election | 1864–65 |
| Predecessor | First Martin ministry |
| Successor | Second Martin ministry |
The fourth Cowper ministry was the ninth ministry of the Colony of New South Wales, and fourth occasion of being led by Charles Cowper.
Cowper was elected in the first free elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held in March 1856, and fought unsuccessfully with Stuart Donaldson to form Government. When Donaldson's Government faltered a little over two months after it was formed, Cowper formed Government on the first occasion, but he also lost the confidence of the Assembly a few months later. Cowper formed Government on the second occasion between 1857 and 1859; but it also lost the confidence of the Assembly. On the third occasion, Cowper formed Government following the decision by Premier John Robertson to step aside and focus on land reform, however Cowper then lost the confidence to James Martin. Cowper retained government by defeating Martin at the 1864–65 general election.
The title of Premier was widely used to refer to the Leader of Government, but not enshrined in formal use until 1920.
There was no party system in New South Wales politics until 1887. Under the constitution, ministers were required to resign to recontest their seats in a by-election when appointed. Such ministerial by-elections were usually uncontested however on this occasion a poll was required in East Sydney (Charles Cowper), The Glebe (Thomas Smart) and West Sydney (John Darvall and John Robertson). Each minister was comfortably re-elected. Only The Paterson (William Arnold) was uncontested.
This ministry covers the period from 3 February 1865 until 21 January 1866, when Martin was asked to form government after Cowper again lost the confidence of the Assembly in December 1865.
Composition of ministry
| Portfolio | Minister | Term start | Term end | Term length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier Colonial Secretary |
Charles Cowper | 3 February 1865 | 21 January 1866 | 352 days |
| Colonial Treasurer | Thomas Smart | 19 October 1865 | 258 days | |
| Saul Samuel | 20 October 1865 | 3 January 1866 | 75 days | |
| Marshall Burdekin | 4 January 1866 | 21 January 1866 | 17 days | |
| Attorney General | John Darvall | 3 February 1865 | 20 June 1865 | 137 days |
| John Plunkett | 25 August 1865 | 21 January 1866 | 149 days | |
| Solicitor General Representative of the Government in the Legislative Council |
John Hargrave MLC | 3 February 1865 | 352 days | |
| Secretary for Lands | John Robertson | 19 October 1865 | 258 days | |
| William Arnold | 20 October 1865 | 30 October 1865 | 10 days | |
| John Robertson | 1 January 1866 | 21 January 1866 | 20 days | |
| Secretary for Public Works | William Arnold | 3 February 1865 | 19 October 1865 | 258 days |
| Thomas Smart | 20 October 1865 | 21 January 1866 | 93 days | |
| Postmaster-General | James Cunneen | 1 October 1865 | 112 days |
Ministers are members of the Legislative Assembly unless otherwise noted.
- A member of the government without a seat in the Cabinet.
See also
- Self-government in New South Wales
- Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1864–1869
- First Cowper ministry (1856)
- Second Cowper ministry (1857–1859)
- Third Cowper ministry (1861–1863)
- Fifth Cowper ministry (1870)
References
- Nairn, Bede. "Robertson, Sir John (1816–1891)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- Serle, Percival (1949). "Martin, James". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- Ward, John M. "Cowper, Sir Charles (1807–1875)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- Twomey, Anne (2004). The Constitution of New South Wales. Federation Press. pp. 442. ISBN 9781862875166. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- Green, Antony. "1865 to 1869 by-elections". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- "Part 6 Ministries since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
| Preceded byFirst Martin ministry | Fourth Cowper ministry 1865–1866 |
Succeeded bySecond Martin ministry |
